Windows
by Whirling
Summary: Dick's parents have always told him stories about how special eyes were, how when you were born you had two different eye colors, and when you met the one you were destined to be with, your eyes would match theirs - and when you fell in love, your eyes would change to their true color. But he never expected to find his soulmate like this. [Gift exchange fic, one-shot, Birdflash.]


Hi! I haven't written anything in quite a while, so this was very refreshing. This is a fic for feelingtheaster123 on tumblr, and was written for a YJ holiday fic exchange. The prompt was "Soulmate AU where you have two eye colors, one yours and one your soulmates and your eyes change to their correct colour when you fall in love with your soulmate. Birdflash (Dick Grayson and Wally West) Wally doesn't know Dick's eye color because of the mask and only Dick sees them change." This... was initially intended to be fluffy but apparently my brain is incapable of writing fluff? So, uh. Enjoy! And (even if it's a bit late) happy holidays!

* * *

When Richard John Grayson was young; before things changed, when he had no worries except to make sure his trapeze acts were perfect; his parents would tell him in soft, loving voices about eyes and souls. _It is said that eyes are the windows to one's soul_ , they would say, _and that everyone on this planet has a match that they are destined to meet. Some are lucky, and don't have to look far to find their other half, while others must travel far and experience much before they are ready to meet them, but the universe arranges itself so that we all find ourselves in the end._ Dick always found himself enraptured by their stories. His favorite had always been the one about his parents, and how they'd met. Their two eye colors - both blue - had been so similar at birth that only their parents (and they themselves) had been able to see the difference between them. His mother's eyes were a deep, unyielding azure that showed her deep-rooted energy and love. His father's were only slightly lighter, but spoke of undying loyalty and care. Dick never tired of staring at them.

He found his own eyes just as interesting, if not more so. Unlike his parents, the two of his eyes were radically different from one another. His left was blue, and he logically assumed this was his true eye color, as it matched his father's eyes almost perfectly. The right, however, was a vibrant green, and it had intrigued him ever since he first looked in a mirror. Sometimes, he tried to imagine another person with eyes that reflected his own, but no matter how hard he tried, he found it hard to believe anyone could be a perfect match for him. How could the universe be so perfectly symmetrical? It seemed unrealistic. How could _everyone_ have a soulmate?

His doubts increased tenfold after his parents had performed their last act. The vision of their scared, shocked eyes staring up at him wormed its way into his memory and refused to budge, no matter how hard he tried to forget.

From then on, he could never quite bring himself to look into another person's eyes directly. Especially if they were blue.

Time became messy for Dick, for a time. Before he could even accept that he would never see his parents again, he was the ward of a billionaire, who then somehow turned out to be a famous masked vigilante, who had information regarding his parents' death. And before Dick knew it, he himself was a masked vigilante.

But none of these twists were so jarringly unbelievable as the unexpected discovery of his soulmate.

* * *

A few years after Robin had made his debut, Robin met Kid Flash on a joint mission in Central City. For some reason, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn had decided to surface there, of all places, and Flash wanted Batman's expertise when he went after the two partners in crime. And of course, they'd decided to bring their protégés along with them.

The thing was - there was one vitally important difference between Robin's costume and Kid Flash's costume. Kid Flash's eyes were exposed, while Robin's eyes were covered.

When the two Flashes met him and Batman on the roof of a factory on the outskirts of Central City, Robin found himself momentarily frozen to the ground, unable to move forward to greet the speedsters. He found himself unintentionally staring at the deep blue and vibrant green of Kid Flash's eyes, a perfect match for his own. But then the trance was broken upon Batman's stern glance, and at once Robin knew that Batman had made the connection long ago, despite the fact that his parents always said only the two soulmates themselves would ever know for sure - but to be fair, he was _Batman._ Immediately, Robin snapped back to reality, forced himself to ignore Kid Flash's eyes, and focused his thoughts on the mission. He could think about this later - and besides, there was always the chance that he was wrong, that their blue and green irises were slightly different. At least, that's what Robin managed to convince himself of as the night wore on.

* * *

In the years that followed, Robin and Kid Flash grew closer. They were similar in age and had a lot to connect over - from the fact that they were the partners to members of the Justice League to their love of video games. And in that time, Robin was introduced to Wally West. Flash and his partner were much more lax about their identities than he and Batman were. But all the while, Wally never knew who Dick Grayson was, and Dick was forced to keep his knowledge about their eyes a secret, for the sake of his and Bruce's secret identities.

He and Bruce had discussed it, of course, when they returned from that first mission and a few times in the years that followed. They both knew that Wally was without a doubt Dick's other half. It was a strong feeling from Dick and careful study of the pair's eyes by Batman that made them confident of this. And while they each had their own reasons, the two had agreed to keep Dick's eyes a secret from Wally, at least for a while. Dick wanted to wait for the sake of their identities, while Bruce's motives were a bit more fatherly. Dick had only been eleven when he met Kid Flash for the first time, and even two years later at thirteen, he was still a child. Bruce knew Wally well enough to trust that he would never hurt one of his best friends on purpose, but the age gap made him hesitant. A thirteen year old had far different levels of maturity and experience when compared to a fifteen year old.

And so, Dick kept the secret.

At least - he kept it until he had reason to believe he would never have a chance to tell.

* * *

In the bowels of an alien mothership, trapped with a bomb that Dick knew (it wasn't instinct or an assumption, he _knew_ they would not make it out alive) would go off before they could get out, Dick thought he had wasted his chance to ever enjoy a life with his soulmate. So he took the time he could get. And with a rapid glance at his wrist computer, he realized that they had no time at all.

"Wally," he croaked as they crouched behind a wall, hidden from the sight of the alien drone guards. Wally turned, his eyes determined, his body shaking with adrenaline and fear.

"We can still make it out, we _can_ -" the speedster's voice was determined but he cut himself off as he realized what Robin was doing. He was ripping his mask carelessly from his face, and it was in that moment that Wally realized he was looking into a reflection of himself, into blue and green irises that matched perfectly with his own.

They didn't have _time_. "I'm Dick Grayson," the younger choked out, not breaking eye contact. He felt like he was frozen, just like the first time he'd seen Wally's eyes on that rooftop a few years ago that felt like decades ago now, and there were only seconds left but time stretched out like hours and with a burning feeling behind his eyes he realized distantly that Wally's mismatched eyes had suddenly flared a blinding green and they were no longer different but both the vibrant green he had fallen in love with the first time he saw his own eyes in a mirror and his computer was beeping frantically and he could hear a rushing sound from deeper inside the mothership but all he could feel was a desperation for more time, and all he could see were Wally's eyes -

And then he woke up.

Everything came rushing back.

Robin threw himself off the metal bed, his lungs gasping uncontrollably, his stomach heaving, his heart racing. He couldn't understand what had happened, but there was Bruce - no, Batman - (he must be confused if he was using names while they were in uniform) next to him. Robin tried to stand, but his body rioted against him, and he threw up on the ground in front of him. Shaking, he decided it would be better to sit. "What was that?" he asked Batman, struggling to look at his mentor. He had already checked to make sure his mask was on, just to be sure that the white film in front of his vision wasn't his mind playing tricks on him. Batman wouldn't know his eyes had changed. Assuming, of course, that the feeling he'd felt just seconds earlier really _had_ been his eyes changing. Wally's had - _Wally._ "Where's -" he stopped. Batman had been speaking, but he hadn't heard a word of it. He must really be out of it.

Robin took a deep breath, as calmly as he could, and tried to clear his mind. How had he ended up here? They had all died… Even the Justice League. Was this a mental trap, set by the aliens that had invaded? Though he considered it, the place he was in right now felt familiar and his heart told him that it was real. The concern on Batman's face was real, though he was sure none of the others could pick it out. Okay, the others. Robin managed the courage to look around the room. They were in the Cave, and there were six unfriendly looking metal beds in a circle. His team was in various states of distress, some of them with their mentors. And they were all confused, focused on themselves and figuring out what happened, like Robin, except for one person. _Wally._

Those last few seconds of his, well, _life_ were branded into his skull, and frantically Robin turned towards Batman, who had followed his gaze and undoubtedly seen Wally's matching green eyes. "Batman, it wasn't his fault, I showed him- I thought- there was a bomb- I thought everything was real-" Robin felt a hand on his trembling shoulder and stopped talking.

"Calm down, Robin," Batman said, in a soft voice that sounded much more like Bruce Wayne than the Batman. "You- all of you- have been through an ordeal today. It's not your fault you believed the simulation to be real."

 _It was a simulation?_ Robin considered it. It sounded familiar, but his mind was still jumbled.

"And I can't fault you for telling Kid Flash," he continued. "Not under these circumstances."

The feeling of relief nearly drowned Robin. "Then… you're not disappointed?"

"No."

"Can I…" he gestured vaguely in the direction of where he'd seen Wally.

Batman nodded, and helped Robin carefully get to his feet.

He turned to where Wally was sitting on his bed. He was still staring at Robin, almost unblinking. He looked like he was in shock. Robin could relate. Flash was standing next to him, looking infinitely concerned but helpless at the same time. Robin made his way over to them.

"Hey, KF," he greeted his soulmate, wishing he could take his mask off and let someone confirm that his eyes really were both blue. Batman was still standing at his side, and Robin was glad for his silent support.

"Robin?"

"Yup."

"Was that… that wasn't real, was it?" Wally chuckled nervously, glancing between Flash and Robin, determinedly avoiding looking at Batman. "Your eyes- _my_ eyes- that was just me making things up, right? There's no way-"

"It was real, Wally." Robin looked desperately at Batman, silently pleading with him. Batman caved, and gestured out of the room they were in towards a more private conference room. The four heroes left, after an assurance to the rest of the Team that they would return very shortly, and were not going far. (They all needed some time together to figure things out, Robin knew that much).

They entered the room, and there was half a heartbeat of silence before Wally blurted, "How long have you known?"

Robin took a deep breath. Batman was silent. Flash, looking impatient, glared halfheartedly at Batman. "I'd like to know that too. I understand not telling Wally, but shouldn't I have a right to know?"

"No more right than me!"

Batman waved a hand towards his partner, inviting him to explain. With another inhale, Dick removed his mask, and stared at his soulmate. The widening of Wally's eyes let him know that it had been real - his eyes were blue. "I know we- I- shouldn't have kept this from you. I've known since the first time we met. But Batman and I agreed that we couldn't tell you, not yet, for the sake of our IDs. I know that's a flimsy excuse, but… Wally, I swear I would have told you eventually," he tried. "You're- well- I would have told you," he said, more firmly this time.

A few beats passed, and Wally did not speak.

Then- "You said your name was Dick Grayson."

He winced. "Yeah… about that. Flash knows our IDs, but you should too. Have you made the connection?"

He shook his head.

Dick pointed to himself, "Richard Grayson," and then at Batman. "Bruce Wayne."

Aaannd, Wally was back to his normal self. Well; as normal as he could be right now. "Okay, now I _know_ this is just a dream. You're telling me _Bruce Wayne_ is _Batman_? No. Nu-uh."

Dick grinned. "Yea-huh. You'd best believe it, KF."

Batman smiled. Almost. Barely.

"Listen, Wally," Dick began again. "I know it's really sudden- and trust me, I was not expecting to be put into a simulation like, uh, _that_ \- but let's just… can we just forget about it for now? Our team is out there, we thought we all died like five minutes ago, and really, this can't change that much, can it? We've always been great friends…"

The older boy considered it, then smiled, and held out his fist. "Yeah, that's cool, Dick."

Dick grinned and moved forward to give his best friend a fist-bump. "Cool."

As they walked out together to rejoin their Team, their mentors exchanged a brief smile, before following their protégés into a future that none of them could have predicted.


End file.
